THE VELVET UNDERGROUND An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side Jim DeRogatis ISBN: 978-0-7603-3672-4, RRP: £20.00, Hardback Release Date: Out Now! Launched to coincide with the bands 45th anniversary The Velvet Underground were without doubt one of the most inspired and influential rock 'n' roll bands of all time and were ranked #19 on the list of the "100 Greatest Artists" by Rolling Stone Magazine. The band was founded by Lou Reed and Welshman John Cale, managed by the spiritual godfather of punk Andy Warhol. The band's music and lyrics challenged conventional societal standards of the time, and broke ground for other musicians to do the same. The band favored experimentation, and introduced a nihilistic outlook through some of their music. Their outsider attitude and experimentation has since been cited as pivotal to the rise of punk rock and, later, alternative rock. This commemorative book is the first to offer a behind-the-scenes access look at this iconic band, from it earliest days in the late 1960s through to its later incarnation. It provides a rare inside view of how the Velvet Underground "opened wounds worth opening with brutal imagery, without apology," as Patti Smith said upon the band's 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It includes excerpts from Andy Warhol's own memoirs, plus rare interviews with fellow band members. It is packed with never-before-seen photography from Warhol's Factory photographers, as well as vintage concert posters, handbills, and memorabilia. Author Jim DeRogatis is the pop music critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, the author of several books about music (including Let It Blurt: The Life And Times Of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic), and the co-host of Sound Opinions (www.soundopinions.org), "the world's only rock 'n' roll talk show, syndicated nationally on public radio http://www.jimdero.com/
